Aston Villa secured a vital 3-2 comeback victory away to Tottenham on Saturday. The win marks their third domestic triumph at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the past year, a better record than the hosts themselves have managed in that time.
Johan Manzambi opened the scoring on his first start for the club, finishing from Boubacar Kamara's pass in first-half stoppage time. Tottenham, who had not scored a Premier League goal in 485 minutes this season, finally broke their drought late on through Conor Gallagher, but Villa had already struck twice more.
Nicolas Jackson scored his first goal for the club in the 67th minute, capitalising on hesitant defending. Emi Buendia then curled in a superb third in the 79th minute, becoming only the third visiting player to score in three successive league visits to the stadium. Tottenham pulled another goal back deep into added time through Jan Paul van Hecke, but it was too little, too late.
Emery's plan pays off
Unai Emery praised his team's execution after the match. "The Swiss attacker's goal suited Emery's gameplan perfectly," the Villa manager said, referencing Manzambi's opener. The victory lifts Villa to 16th in the Premier League table with four points from their opening five games, though they have now won three of their last five matches in all competitions.
The result continues a worrying trend for Spurs, who have now taken just 18 points from a possible 75 in 2026. Their summer spending of over £350 million has yielded only two league goals from their new signings, both from Gallagher. Tottenham manager De Zerbi had spoken highly of the midfielder before the game, and he rewarded that faith by flicking home Mohammed Kudus's cross with four minutes of normal time remaining.
Villa's recent form shows a team finding its rhythm, with wins over Coventry and Club Brugge preceding this result. They face a tough test next, hosting fourth-placed Brentford at Villa Park on 10 October.
Several key players remain unavailable for selection, including Pau Torres, Leon Goretzka and Amadou Onana. The squad list list and injury updates are available on our squad and injuries pages. With the international break now underway, Emery will hope to have more players fit for the challenge of Brentford as Villa look to climb the standings.
This story first appeared at espn.com
